A cracking good start to duck shooting season

Local hunters like Anna Wallis are enjoying the start of game bird hunting season.

Anna Wallis is buzzing this month.

Like many hunting enthusiasts, this is her month to get out in the great outdoors, to relax and unwind, hone her duck calling skills and shoot some ducks.

The opening day of game bird hunting season was on Saturday, with most of the Western Bay of Plenty Fish and Game Club members up early on missions, joining 50,000 game bird hunters nationwide.

Club president Anna says it's the highlight of the year for many game bird hunters — a month of shooting.

"Some of the guys in our club take a month off work for this, just about all of our guys in the club get out there on opening day."

Anna went shooting in Rerewhakaaitu and had a successful day out with friends and family. Most years they shoot at the Katikati estuary.

She'll be out every weekend until the season ends on June 6.

"I love duck calling, calling the birds in is an achievement in itself."

Her son Brett, too, is perfecting the art of duck calling, and he likes to retrieve the ducks.

"It's about focus, respect and safety. You learn to respect the animal, and you learn about yourself as well. It's also your time out, you sit there and you're forced to relax."

Fish & Game New Zealand regulations state the limit of mallard, grey duck and paradise shelduck this year is a daily bag count of six each in the eastern region.

There are other Western Bay of Plenty Fish and Game Club outings to help the eco-system, supported by the Fish and Game Council, Anna says.

"If there was no [shooting] season, many game birds would become pests," she says.

"As far as swan and geese go, our club does an annual goose shoot in the harbour that is purely to help with the environment and the ecosystem."

Anna thinks ducks were slightly down in numbers from last year "but Fish & Game monitor the bird levels and if they were getting down on numbers they would hold back on the length of the duck shooting season".

No meat goes to waste, Anna says.

"You're putting food on the table. Some people make it into salami or sausages."

Anna encourages people who are interested to join a club. Locally, there's the Western Bay of Plenty Fish and Game Club, Kaimai Pistol Club and Te Puna Hunting and Fishing Club.

"We have about 50 members in our club but with these new regulations, we won't have a club if these are put in place."